Broken Trust
by Prison Song
Summary: *Complete* -- Draco's hurting himself and Hermione is the only one who knows. What will happen when his past is revealed and he ruins her future? Please R/R
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer - As all of you very well know none of these characters belong to me. They belong to JKR. Unless I am really JKR under another penname giving you hints as to what is coming up in the sixth and seventh books. But I'm not. So they aren't mine and don't sue me!  
  
I have decided that that disclaimer comment is going to last through the entire story so I won't have to post on every chapter.  
  
This is my newest story and I really hope it's good. I have a feeling it's going to be my best one yet, but also the one with the least amount of chapters. I have it all mapped out and this won't be longer than seven chapters. Read on.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The sun was shining brightly through the windows at King's Cross Station as Hermione Granger, Hogwarts student extraordinaire, walked through the barrier between platforms nine and ten to reach the Hogwarts Express. The engine tooted and steam rose from the stack as she pushed her trolley of school supplies towards the train.  
  
She quickly spotted the bright red hair of her boyfriend, Ronald Weasley, and went to join Harry and him at the front of the train.  
  
"Hermione!" Ron said happily as she approached then and a smile spread across his boyish face. He walked over and gave her a big hug. Harry looked uncomfortable and scuffed his foot on the pavement as he always did when his best friends turned couple-y on him. Ron just held her tighter and kissed the side of her head. "I missed you so much."  
  
"I missed you too." Hermione replied and sighed. It felt so good to be going back to school. Ron and Hermione hadn't seen each other all summer. Hermione's parents had dragged her away to visit their relatives in America. They had exchanged letters at least twice a week though. Her American cousins took awhile to get over owls flying in and out of the house all the time. Ron released her and stepped back to look at her.  
  
She looked exactly like he remembered from their fifth year. During that year she had finally sprouted and filled out in all the places she was supposed to fill out in. She had also developed several charms to make her hair sleek and strait; it was no longer the bushy mess it had been when she was younger. Her warm cinnamon eyes smiled back at him as he took her hand and boarded the train along with Harry and sat down in an empty compartment.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Draco Malfoy looked up to see his girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson, bounding towards him at an alarming rate. She had a goofy grin plastered on her face and her blonde curls bounced behind her. He tried to act as if he hadn't seen her and turned the other way, but it was too late.  
  
"Drakie!" She called after his retreating form. When she finally caught up with him she grasped his hand in her own and squeezed. She smiled up at him and began her never-ending chatter. "So how was your summer? Do anything interesting? I missed you. Did you miss me? I-" Draco knew the talking wouldn't stop until they reached the school so he gave her a forced smile and boarded the train.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ron and Hermione sat close together on one side of the compartment while Harry sat on the other by himself talking to Hedwig. Crookshanks was hidden somewhere with the trunks as he glared down at the owl and waited. When Harry finally grew tired of talking to something that didn't talk back, Crookshanks let out a tremendous screech and lept on top of the owl. Fortunately all of the years of battling Voldemort had given Harry quick reflexes so he quickly opened the window and Hedwig only lost a few feathers.  
  
Hermione gathered her cat and sat it down in her lap as Harry watched it with hate. He snorted and began to pre-study for potions. Ron had fallen asleep and was snoring and mumbling things. Hermione finally decided to look over the topics for the first Prefects meeting they would have the first day of classes. Dean and she had been elected for Gryffindor, Justin and Emma for Hufflepuff, Dalton and Laney for Ravenclaw, and Draco and Pansy from Slytherin. Which meant she was going to be spending more time than she wanted to with Slytherin's prized ferret. She laughed at the memory and Harry gave her a skeptical look. She just shook her head and sat there leaning against Ron with a grin on her face.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Pansy still held Draco's hand in a vice grip as he let his hand go numb. The only entertainment he had to avoid her chatter was to look out the window. He watched as the castle approached. Pansy finally released him when he explained that they had to get their trunks. Draco first handed hers down to her from the overhead compartment. He almost dropped it.  
  
"Good God woman. Do you have a body in here or did you just want to see how much you could possibly pack?" he heaved the trunk and eventually got it down to her.  
  
"Oh Drakie, you're such a kidder." She flirtatiously hit his arm; which caused him to loose his balance on the small train seat and fall. His arms flailed in a desperate attempt to catch himself. He hit his head on the opposite wall.  
  
"Damn it." He muttered under his breath and rubbed the bump on the back of his head. He quickly ran a comb through his hair until it was back to its perfectly slicked back state without a single strand out of place. Pansy started to say something but Draco just grabbed his trunk and left. She closed her mouth and followed him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione shook Ron awake as the train came to a stop. "Ron. Ron. Wake up. Ron." She said quietly as he started to come around.  
  
"Hey." He said when he was mostly awake. He lifted himself up a bit until his eyes were level with hers and softly kissed her. She giggled and kissed him back before pulling away.  
  
"Ron please. Harry's watching." Hermione laughed again and put her hand on his chest to push him away. 'He must have played some serious Quidditch with Harry over the summer.' She thought. 'He's even more muscular than last year.'  
  
In truth Ron had always had some muscle. With five older brothers he had to have some or he got beaten up even more than he already did. But this wasn't the same kind of muscular; now he wasn't only fit; he was buff too. She would have to work hard to keep him hers this year. She already knew Lavender had eyes for him.  
  
Harry grunted at them again as they stared at each other and began to get their baggage down. Hermione's trunk was the heaviest of course, since she had packed half of her home library along with everything that was required. They took their supplies and walked towards the castle with the other students.  
  
"I promise if you two keep it up with this lovey-dovey shit I'll abandon you and start hanging out with Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins." Harry finally said to them once they were halfway to the school. Unfortunately as he said it a certain Slytherin walked up behind them.  
  
"Potter, I know I'm irresistible but even you shouldn't be thinking about me that way, being the gay disgrace that you are. Obsession is unhealthy." Draco said, his voice full of ice and amusement. Harry whirled around to face the slightly smaller boy.  
  
"Malfoy." Harry said and sneered.  
  
"Potter." Draco cocked his eyebrow at him.  
  
"Ferret."  
  
"Scarface."  
  
"Deatheater." That one went to far. Draco's normally emotionless eyes sparked and he glared at the three of them. He pulled his sleeve back to reveal the pale skin of his forearm.  
  
"Tell me, what do you see? Anything?" He yelled and shoved his arm in all three of their faces. "What do you see?" He screamed again. He was beginning to draw attention. A crown had begun to form.  
  
"Nothing." Hermione said quietly. "I don't see anything. There's nothing there." She met his steel gray eyes with her own cinnamon ones and he looked away.  
  
"That's what I thought." He pulled his sleeve down and left with his trunk in hand. The crowd dispensed and Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked the remaining distance to school. All the trunks were left with the house elves and they went to watch the sorting ceremony.  
  
"I'm really sorry about this." Hermione told one of the elves that carried her luggage. The creature just looked frightened and scurried away. She had never given up on House Elf Rights. Ron just sighed and took her hand to lead her to the Great Hall.  
  
Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the scared expressions on the new first year's faces. She couldn't believe she had ever been so terrified of such a wonderful place. As they walked by she gave some of them reassuring smiles; which made one boy blush.  
  
After the sorting ceremony was finished (Nine Gryffindors, seven Ravenclaws, eleven Hufflepuffs, and nine Slytherins) she glanced at the Slytherin table where Draco was doing his best to strike fear into the heart of the younger students with stories of teachers and other things. She just sighed and went back to listening to Harry and Ron chat about chess and Quidditch; their two favorite subjects.  
  
The feast was as good as it was every year, and just like every year it eventually came to an end. Everyone trooped back to their rooms to get some much needed sleep before the first day of classes.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Draco rubbed his eyes as the sun shone in through h the window and woke him up. He quickly sat up and pulled on a white shirt over his bare chest to walk to the showers. If Crabbe and Goyle got there before you, you didn't take a shower that day. He took off his shirt and green satin bottoms and climbed into the spray. The water felt cold and clean against his skin but he forced himself to get out; Potions first class with the Gryffindors. Snape had gotten stricter over the past several years and would now even give HIM detention if he was tardy.  
  
He pulled his robes on over his gray uniform and strode to the Great Hall for breakfast. Breakfast was always amazing on the first day of class. They had everything you could imagine. The rest of the year was just cereal and scones. He ate quickly so he would be able to claim a good seat in the back for potions. He was still almost an hour early when he arrived. Unfortunately, so was Pansy.  
  
"Come on Lover Boy." She said, which caused Snape to glance up and send Draco an almost sympathetic look. Pansy grabbed his arm and led him into the hall where she immediately began attacking his lips with her own. Draco stood motionless for a moment before pushing her away.  
  
"Sorry Pansy got to run." Draco said, and run he did; all the way to the Charms classroom. Flitwick didn't have a class first thing of the day so the room was empty, or so he thought.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione was startles as she watched Draco burst through the doors. She had been going over the Prefect notes in the back of the room. He began to pace the front of the room with a look of severe concentration on his face. She made herself as small as she could and watched on silently. Draco ran his hands through his hair and sat on the teacher's desk. He looked up angrily and began to speak.  
  
"Looks like this year has started out just like all the others. No one gets it. I am really not a bad person, well not all bad anyway. I act that way to hide my insecurities. Oh God I have so many." He once again ran his hands though his silver-blonde hair and sighed. She didn't know who he was talking to but was still sure he didn't know she was there or he wouldn't be saying all of these things. "I mean; I don't like my girlfriend, at all, who could? Why did I ever ask her out? I am so stupid."  
  
He took out a small dagger from a hidden pocket in his robes and cut a long line in his upper arm. The blood trickled down as he watched on and smiled before saying a spell that sucked the blood back into the wound and disappear. After a moment he started to speak again.  
  
"My father's only reason for having me and marrying my mother was so Voldemort," he spat out the name, "would have a second hand man when my father dies. He never wanted me. My poor mother, once he's done with her he'll kill her."  
  
Draco repeated the incident with the knife on his forearm. Once again the blood was sucked back and disappeared. He removed his robes and recited another spell. Suddenly scars upon scars appeared on his face, his arms, and his neck.  
  
"This is how worthless you are Draco." He told himself as he traced the scars with his fingertips almost lovingly. Hermione gasped from the back of the room and immediately wished she hadn't. In three long strides he had her pinned to the cold stonewall.  
  
"How much did you hear Granger?" He asked, his voice full of malice. His gray eyes pierced her very soul. She opened her mouth to answer hut his grip was to tight on her throat. He realized this and pinned her by the shoulders instead. "Speak."  
  
"J-j-just," she stuttered. This guy had always scared the living crap out of her.  
  
"Just what?" He yelled and gripped her shoulders tighter until she yelped out in pain; then he loosened it, but only a little.  
  
"All of it." She said in a voice just above a whisper. He slammed her against the wall once more and then let her drop to the floor. Tears welled in her eyes but she was determined not to let him see her cry. She rubbed her shoulder and stood up.  
  
"So now you know everything. Great; just what I need. For a damn Mudblood to go tell Potter and Weasley all about poor Draco's home life." He sent her a look that could kill.  
  
"I won't tell." She said in a little louder voice than previously. "If-" He cut her off.  
  
"If what? If I'm your personal slave for the rest of your bloody existence? I leave you and the rest of Potter and Company alone all year? If I shave my head, dress up like a clown, and pants Snape?" Hermione just started laughing at the last suggestion.  
  
"As appealing as that last one was I think the first two will do just fine. But you don't have to do it for the rest of your life; just this year. Because after that I won't have to ever see you again." Hermione was beginning to like this idea, having a slave would be nice and now no one would make her and her friends lives miserable.  
  
"Alright Mudblood. You have yourself a deal." He held out his hand to shake on it and smirked.  
  
"And don't call me Mudblood. Granger or Hermione; take your pick." She waited before she shook his have for him to decide.  
  
"Granger." They shook on it. 'His hands are like ice.' She thought and pulled away quickly. They then walked to potions with some distance between them so no one would get suspicious that anything was going on.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Done with this chapter. Yay.  
  
Tell me if you liked it. Then I'll update faster.  
  
In a scientific study if does show that reviews help to get chapters up quicker. Okay so I made that up - I just really like reviews.  
  
Review please!  
  
(Get the idea?) 


	2. Chapter Two

Hey everyone. Sorry it took so long to post this. I had it written in my journal Monday, then all this crap happened and I finally started typing Saturday.  
  
I would like to start off by thanking everyone who reviewed my first chapter. Not many people read stories with only one chapter to start off with because you know it isn't even close to being over and don't want to wait. So thanks a lot - I appreciate it.  
  
Luce - Yeah. It was a really hard decision to make because it was like my first story even though it was in two parts. But finally I just had to. I really didn't like them very much; way to fluffy for me. I really like writing dark things like this more. It's just more fun. Finally figured out who you are you silly LAMA!  
  
Amoureux Reveur - Goodness, think your review was long enough? I don't know why Hermione is a wimp. I don't get it. She hasn't done anything wimpy yet. Now I feel bad for making her cry in this chapter. And Draco doesn't look like David in this story - He still has his long hair and stuff. Congratulations on the play.  
  
Weasley Pride - Thanks for reading Ewin. (smile) I haven't beaten myself up over this story yet; except on deciding the plot. That took a while. It was the last story I beat myself up on. I still don't like the last chapter of it. Doesn't tie in with the rest of the story you know?  
  
MellonKidd - Haha. We should get sick more often so we can talk about our stories more often. They tend to turn out better that way. I guess it's because you have another person's input on if it will be pointless or not.  
  
Cookie - I saw you at the movie. I am your stalker. Beware.  
  
Tripple A - No I don't have writers block. Just haven't been motivated to type what I wrote. Stupid me.  
  
Tsunami Wave - Sorry for keeping this chapter to myself for so long. Hope you don't mind!  
  
Okay now that that's over with - On with the story!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Potions class that day was close to unbearable; which really was nothing new. Surprising but still unbearable. Snape's hatred for the Gryffindors had evolved over the summer to a point where he loathed the very thought that they existed on the same planet. No one could really tell that much of a difference. His love for the Slytherin's had also diminished a bit. He seemed to hate everything and everyone this year. He liked making everyone's life unhappy. All of the students were miserable.  
  
The first thing Snape did every year was lecture them on the importance of potions, ask questions only Hermione could answer, and assign then partners for the rest of the semester. This year Hermione got stuck with Pansy. She watched Ron with sympathy as he was assigned Malfoy. Harry was one of the only ones who got off in remotely good shape; he got Seamus.  
  
"Class." Snape called them to attention without lifting his voice higher than a loud whisper after they had settles into their new seating arrangements. "You will start off the year with a simple potion. Can anyone tell me what the Selppa Potion is used for?"  
  
Hermione's hand immediately shot into the air. Snape's eyes wandered from one side of the room to the other; passing right over her. Harry tentatively raised his hand.  
  
"Mister Potter." Snape looked a bit surprised. Harry rarely spoke in potions, much less volunteered to answer questions.  
  
"Umm - it's used for healing purposes in the joints." He said a little unsurely.  
  
"Correct. One point to Gryffindor." You could tell it pained Snape to do this. His face got all drawn up and his eyes and lips grew thin. The students' mouths all dropped open in surprise. They quickly got over it as he gave the instructions to start.  
  
Hermione carefully measured ingredients and put them into the cauldron. Pansy watched on and filed her nails. Once she was satisfied with them she picked up a beaker of acid to add to the potion.  
  
"Wait Pansy it's not time to-" Hermione said but was cut off as Pansy's nails caused the beaker to slip and fall. The acid spread across the table and formed a large hole in the wooden surface before beginning to make progress on the stone floor. "Nerectum Incarte." Hermione said and pointed her wand at the green liquid. It disappeared and the holes refilled themselves.  
  
Snape was over at their table just as the last of the holes refilled. "What happened?" He looked from Hermione to Pansy and then back again.  
  
"It's her fault professor!" Pansy whined before Hermione had a chance to say her part. "I was just going to add the acid to the potion and she tried to take it from me and them dropped it."  
  
"Ten points from Gryffindor." Snape said. You could tell he enjoyed that. She just finished the potion in silence; the old Snape was back.  
  
As soon as class was over everyone left as quickly as they could. Ron caught up with Hermione and put his arm around her shoulders to give her a half hug.  
  
"Don't worry about him." He whispered into her ear. "He's like that to everyone, you know that." He kissed her cheek and they walked on to History of Magic with Harry.  
  
The rest of the day passed by slowly and uneventfully until the Prefects meeting after dinner. Hermione met up with Dean and they made their way to Professor Dumbledore's office. They were the first set of students to arrive. Once everyone was present Dumbledore called the meeting to order.  
  
"I would like to start off by saying how proud I am of all of you. You are the leaders of your class and of your houses. I hope this year will be one of the best Hogwarts has ever seen. Please take out your supplies to take noted during all meetings." He sat behind his desk and watched as McGonagall took over.  
  
"You don't mind taking my notes for me do you Malfoy?" Hermione asked and looked at him expectantly.  
  
"Do it yourself." He muttered and glared right back at her. She raised her eyebrows at him and he remembered their deal. "Find I'll take your damn notes." He rummaged around in his bag to find another piece of parchment.  
  
"That's what I thought." Hermione smiled sweetly. Pansy and Dean looked at him like he'd lost his mind and the meeting started.  
  
They didn't do much at their first meeting; just went over what they would be expected to do as Prefects. The students were dismissed back to their Commonrooms.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Draco sat on one of the emerald couches and immediately Pansy glued herself to his side. She ran one of her fingers down his jawbone and then under his chin to turn his face towards her. She raised her lips to meet his and pressed them together. He pulled away.  
  
"I can't do this anymore." He whispered to himself. "Pansy, we need to break up." He told her strait out with no feeling in his voice whatsoever.  
  
"What?" Pansy wait a little louder than perhaps she should have. Everyone in the room turned to look at them. With one threatening glance from Draco they went back to their business. "Why?"  
  
"It's just not working. I'll see you around." He stood and left as tears began to fall from Pansy's eyes. He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. He quickly got over it. Malfoys didn't feel much; for other people or themselves. He fingered his pocket that held his beloved knife and headed for the charms classroom again.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione had said goodbye to Dean and decided to take the long way back to Gryffindor Tower. She heard the click of someone's footsteps behind her and looked to see who would be out and about at this hour. Draco was walking in the opposite direction. 'Shit.' She whispered to herself and followed him. He arrived in the classroom and had the blade pressed to his skin when she arrived.  
  
"No!" She yelled and grabbed the knife. She held it out in front of her and brought the blade down on the hard desk. The metal shattered and flew in all directions.  
  
"Damn it Granger. What did you do that for?" He began to gather the broken pieces together. Once they were all in a pile Hermione held out her wand and they vanished.  
  
"You shouldn't do that to yourself." She said quietly. Slowly she took a seat next to him on the desk.  
  
"And why not? Because I'm such a wonderful person? Because nothing ever goes wrong in my life?" He clenched his fists at his sides and stared at the whiteness of his knuckles.  
  
"Malfoy no one, not even you, deserves that. You're a horrible person who has made my life and the lives of my friends a living hell since we came to this school. You have had a horrible childhood and life and I'm sorry but don't take it out on yourself that way. Find a hobby. Go play Quidditch or Duel just don't keep hurting yourself! It's not healthy!" He refused to meet her eyes so she talked and yelled at the side of his head. "Why do you do it anyway?"  
  
"I don't want to talk about it." He said to the wall. She grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look her in the eye.  
  
"You can't always have everything you want Malfoy." Her eyes searched his as she waited for him to say something.  
  
"Even if I did want to talk about it what makes you think I'd tell you Mudblood?" Hermione stiffened at the name and her blood ran cold for a second.  
  
"Because I know to much already." She wore a smug expression and he knew she was right. He wasn't going to win this time so he might as well get it over with.  
  
"I don't really know how it got started. I was nine when my father first told me about Voldemort's plan for my family and me. Imagine finding out when your nine that your only reason for being born was to take your fathers place. Since then things only got worse. Father wasn't around much, Mother never spoke unless she was forced to and didn't do much of anything except lay around in her bedchambers.  
  
"I got the knife for my fifteenth birthday. Some present from a distant relative who thought I did knife throwing. I kept it packed away in a corner of my trunk; didn't know what to do with it. One day Father burst into my room and dragged me into our study. Sitting in the armchair in armchair in front of the fire was the scariest man I had ever seen. His eyes were thin and so red they almost glowed. You could just tell right away he was evil. Just looked it. It was Voldemort of course. I'm a smart boy; I figured that out quick enough.  
  
"They told me in detail their entire plan before letting me go. I was distraught. That's when I realized what I could do with that knife. Allipsitum." The scars appeared and he traced a long one that reached from his shoulder to his mid forearm. "It was that one. Ever since then I did it every time something bad happened to me. It's my outlet. After a while it just stopped hurting." He made the scars disappear and the two sat in utter silence; not sure if it was safe to speak again.  
  
"That's horrible." She finally said more to herself than to Draco. He shrugged and laced his fingers together.  
  
"Now it's only fair you tell me something about you." He turned so they were facing each other head on and waited.  
  
"Well-" Hermione thought for a minute. She had only really ever done one really bad thing in her entire life and wasn't sure if she wanted to tell that to Malfoy. Finally she decided to just tell him. He had told her enough. "When I was fourteen I spent part of my summer with Viktor Krum. And over that summer I - er - lost my, you know." He just gave her a look that clearly said, no I don't know. "Virginity." She hissed. His eyes nearly doubled in size and his mouth fell open. He recovered himself and smirked.  
  
"So Granger's not a virgin. Stop the presses. This is front-page material." He was still amazed. "Wow."  
  
"Oh come off it Malfoy. It's not that unbelievable." Hermione wished she had never told him, and didn't know what had made her do so. Even Ron didn't know about this. "Look Malfoy, if you don't tell anyone I lift you of your duties. You don't have to be my servant anymore okay?"  
  
"Fine." He smirked again. He wasn't surprised she had let him off; while she was bossy she still loved doing things herself. "What made you tell me?" He was curious. No one had ever trusted him with something this personal before; he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. She thought for a moment before speaking again.  
  
"I guess it's because you told me so much about you. It really was only fair. I felt like I owed it to you or something." She shrugged like it was no big deal she had just shared her deepest secret with her worst enemy; even thought they both knew better.  
  
"Okay." Was all he said before he left. "See you later Granger." The door rattled shut behind him and he was gone. She left soon after for her own Commonroom.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
When Draco entered the Slytherin Commonroom a beer was immediately shoved into his hand. He mumbled a thanks to Goyle. Across the room he made eye contact with Pansy and she burst into tears before retreating to the girls dormitory. He just chuckled and took a swig of his drink.  
  
Several hours and several drinks later the whole room was officially wasted. They say on the couches and armchairs by the fire and had very pointless conversations. Crabbe was babbling something about the previous Quidditch Cup (it had been Bulgaria and England) and Krum's name came up.  
  
"You know," Draco slurred, "he laid granger when she was fourteen." He shook the empty can before tossing it aside and reaching for another one.  
  
The Slytherin boys spent the next several hours talking about Hermione's rendezvous and their own experiences with other girls before one by one they all passed out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next day they all had terrible hangovers. It took them a while to wake up and perform the spell to take it away. Slowly they made their way to Potions. Class started as normal. Today they were preparing ingredients while Snape worked at his desk grading essays he had given the first years on their first day.  
  
The Slytherin boys crowded around Pansy and Hermione's table. Pansy, who thought they were there to see her, flipped her hair and smiled. Goyle started. Draco watched in horror from his seat; he knew what they were going to do.  
  
"Mudblood." Hermione didn't acknowledge it and continues working. "Mudblood I'm talking to you." He grabbed a chunk of her hair and pulled her head up. "How much do you charge?" He asked and the rest of the boys laughed and snorted.  
  
"What?" She couldn't help being confused; she didn't even know Goyle could speak in complete sentences. "Charge for what?"  
  
"You know very well what. I'll give you seven galleons; nine if you're good. Be outside the Slytherin Commonroom at seven o'clock." He released her hair and her blood boiled.  
  
"No!" She finally understood what he was getting at. "I'm not going to have sex with you."  
  
"Why not? You did it with Krum?" Her mouth fell open and she felt hot tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She sent Draco a look that spoke for itself; "I thought I could trust you," and left class.  
  
Draco ran his hands through his long blonde hair and let out a frustrated sigh, several strands had freed themselves and fell across his eyes; Ron and Harry just stared at each other in disbelief.  
  
Hermione curled up into a ball in the center of her crimson bedspread and let the tears fall.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ron and Harry decided that if anymore Gryffindors suddenly left the class major points would be taken off so they had to wait until the class was over to see how she was doing. Ron knocked on the girl's dormitory door and went in first; Harry said he'd come in later to give them a little time to themselves.  
  
"Hermione?" Ron said tentatively as he poked his head in. She wiped the tears from her eyes and sat up; trying to look as if nothing was wrong, but Ron knew better. Hermione always pretended nothing was wrong; he'd found that out the previous year when she was sick near to the point of dying. They convinced her to go to the hospital wing just in time. She always put everyone before herself, but he had heard what Goyle said and there was no hiding this.  
  
"Oh hi Ron." She choked out before giving in and sobbing. He sat on her bed and cradled her head on his shoulder. "I thought I could trust him Ron. I am so stupid."  
  
"No you're not. You're the smartest girl in school and you know it." He reassured her; deciding now was not the time to bring up the trust issue. He rocked her back and forth until she calmed down a bit and kissed her closed eyes.  
  
"I trusted him Ron." She wouldn't meet his eyes. How could he still want her now that he knew? Ron lifted her chin up. "Why are you still here? Don't you want a pure girlfriend?" He looked rather hurt by her accusation.  
  
"Hermione would I be here if I didn't want you just the way you are?" He asked and gave her an earnest glance before adding quietly, "I love you." She smiled for the first time that day.  
  
"I love you too." She whispered and planted a feather light kiss on his lips. She then went and opened the door. "You can come in now Harry." He came in and the threesome sat on her bed.  
  
"Now Hermione, I think it's time you told us about what happened in potions." Harry said after a moment of silence.  
  
Hermione launched into the whole story not leaving out any of the details as they sat and listened. By the end of the story she was crying for the third time that day so both of the boys held her close until she finished.  
  
"I'm going to murder that guy." Ron said and fire lit his hazel eyes. His hands clenched at his sides and his entire face turned red with fury.  
  
"How is that going to help? Getting you expelled is not the answer to anything. I just don't know what to do." Hermione sighed and collapsed onto her pillows.  
  
"Hermione we will tell absolutely everyone everything you said, leaving out the part about you of course; they already know that." Harry looked almost as angry as Ron. "If he's going to make your life a living hell the least we can do is return the favor." Ron agreed and she smiled at them both.  
  
"Thanks you guys. What would I do without you?" Hermione said and got off the bed.  
  
"Have a whole lot of problems and a smaller permanent record." Ron said and smirked before they went to the Great Hall for lunch. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad after all.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Once again sorry that took so long to get out. I'm going to try to get at LEAST one chapter out a week. If I don't send me threatening e-mails and remind me.  
  
Anyway - You took the time to read it so review already! Not that hard a concept.  
  
REVIEW 


	3. Chapter Three

I would like to start off by saying thank you to all the people that reviewed. So - Thanks!  
  
Okay - This chapter deals a lot with cutting yourself to get away from your problems. I don't want to make the impression that you should go out and cut yourself every time something doesn't go your way. I've done it before and it feels good for a while but then really doesn't help. So please don't think I'm telling you it's the way to solve everything.  
  
On with the story!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
By dinnertime that evening everyone knew about Draco, but no one really cared. People had always guessed he hadn't had a great childhood so it was no surprise to anyone. The younger Slytherins' admiration for him grew and so did the respect from his peers. The only thing that surprised anyone was that he wasn't a Deatheater and had no intention of becoming one. They all assumed that even though he was against it he would eventually follow in his father's footsteps.  
  
But since everyone knew about Draco they also knew about Hermione. When Harry, Ron and she sat at the Gryffindor table anyone sitting near them moved away at least five feet; she had become an outcast. Her reputation for being the smartest girl in school was smashed and soiled with new rumors that she was easy and fast; she wasn't but no one bases rumors on fact. They took the bit about Krum and ran with it as far as they could. She was now everyone's topic of conversation and ridicule.  
  
Between lunch and dinner Ron forced her to go to their remaining two classes, reminding her that if she showed everyone that she wasn't scared they might let up a little. But he didn't understand; she was afraid. But nonetheless she had gone and taken seats near the back, not raising her hand a single time and trying to make herself as invisible as possible. No one, with the exception of Harry and Ron, was even trying to end her suffering. They would turn, look at her, laugh, and make rude comments just loud enough for her to hear.  
  
As the three outcasts (Harry and Ron were outcasts by association) ate in silence trying to ignore the glares of their fellow students, Hermione suddenly stood up.  
  
"I'm going back to my room. See you in the morning." She gave them each a hug. When she got to Ron she kissed him on the cheek and whispered, "Love you," before looking around the room at everyone and quietly leaving the hall.  
  
Ron stood up to follow her but Harry put out a hand to stop him. "She needs some time right now Ron; let her go. You'll see her tomorrow." Ron knew Harry was right but he wasn't happy about it. He didn't like seeing Hermione this upset; she really didn't deserve all she was getting.  
  
Harry was the least depressed about the dilemma out of the three. Sure he felt sorry for her, but he had sense enough to know within a few months Professor Binns would be teaching it in History or Magic. He decided to change the subject. "So who do you think will win the Quidditch World Cup this year?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise had seen Hermione get up and leave. It only took them a glance at one another to follow her. Draco was at the opposite end of the table and saw the look on their faces when they followed the Gryffindor. A sinking feeling ha had never experienced before settled in his stomach. For a moment he thought he might be sick. The feeling grew as the large oak doors slammed behind the Slytherins. He ignored the feeling and finished eating his meal. Since he always ate in silence by himself he normally finished and returned to the Commonroom before everyone else; today was no different.  
  
He got off the bench and left the others to eat dinner. On the way back to the dungeons he heard a muffled sort of heavy, fast breathing sound. He looked around the dark, empty hallway. In a nook behind the suit of armor he found a sobbing Hermione.  
  
But at the same time it wasn't Hermione. She looked smaller than usual when she brought her knees to her forehead like that. Her normal confident exterior was shattered. She looked almost like she expected you to walk all over her; she wore the same scared expression that his house elves did. That was when he realized it; she wasn't only humiliated she was scared. Scared of everyone and everything, and he had done this to her.  
  
He was shocked; he hadn't really thought it was that bad. When a boy looses his virginity early he's a hero, but when a girl does it makes her a tramp. Slowly, very slowly, he inched away from her hoping she wouldn't realize his presence; she didn't.  
  
The sinking feeling returned while he went over the problem on the way to his Commonroom. He had been cruel to people before; loads of times, but this was the first time he had thought about how it affected people. He felt sorry for them; all those lives he had ruined just to lift himself up, and he didn't like the feeling. Had all those people ended up like this? Or just Hermione?  
  
The Commonroom was empty when he arrived; not that he would be spending time there anyway. He walked to the sixth year boy's dormitory and cast a locking charm on the door; Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise would wait outside for a while.  
  
He rummaged around in his trunk until he found the small pocketknife he kept wrapped in silk at the bottom. He rid himself of the heavy black robes and removed his white dress shirt. The scars were invisible at the moment and the clear, pale skin called his name. He allowed the cold blade to trail its way across his flesh before realizing what he was doing. He had drawn a small picture; a picture that was clearly Hermione crying. The droplets of blood gathered and trickled their was down his arm like tears.  
  
He watched on for a while before a loud band on the door told him that his roommates were tired of waiting outside. With two waves of his wand the blood and cut vanished and the door unlocked. He carefully slipped the pocketknife into his robes before they came in; it would be safe there.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Over the next several days things hadn't gotten any better for Hermione, but they didn't get any worse either. Draco kept himself busy with Quidditch and classes and tried to avoid looking or coming in contact with Hermione as he attempted to ignore the guilty feeling that was steadily growing on his mind. However, it wasn't doing any good. In those days he drew several more unintentional blood pictures; including a portrait of Hermione's tear streaked face, a Gryffindor lion, and a snake that was getting ready to strike encircling a lion cub. He decided he would just have to try harder to ignore the problem.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
In Defense Against the Dark Arts t hat day (which was taught by Professor Lupin who was on a much stronger potion to control him werewolf tendencies) Hermione came in with several thin cuts on her left arm.  
  
"Hermione where were you this morning?" Ron asked without looking up from his paper. "We didn't see you." He finished writing a sentence and looked up; noticing the fresh scars at once. "What happened?!"  
  
"Crookshanks. He mistook my arm for a scratching post." She turned and gave Draco and icy glare as she said this; he knew it was no cat that had cut her. Run shrugged and went back to his work and Hermione's eyes left Draco's to begin her own.  
  
After class Hermione was the first to leave. Draco caught up with her and pulled her into an empty classroom before anyone noticed she was missing,  
  
"Malfoy! What the fu-" He held up a hand and silenced her.  
  
"Granger you and I both know your demon cat didn't do that to you." He motioned to her left arm. "What did?"  
  
"Like I'm going to tell you Malfoy. You've already messed up my life too much." She sneered at him and made her way to the door. He swiftly pinned her shoulders to the wall as he had done several days before. He searched her eyes for anything that would tell him something, but found they had become like his own; emotionless.  
  
"Just tell me one thing; did you do that to yourself?" Her expression didn't change at tall when he asked her this and she didn't blink. He released her shoulders.  
  
"Let's just say you're not the only one who keeps a knife in their trunk." She turned on her heel and left him staring after her in shock.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione retreated back to Gryffindor Tower. There was no one in the girls dorm, as usual. They all tried to avoid her when they could, as being seen with her was bad for their reputations. She lay flat on her bed and went over the events that had occurred before class.  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
She got ready for class and left early to try to be first. Waiting outside the commonroom were several seventh years she didn't recognize.  
  
"Hey Babe." One of them said and stood to attention. "How bout coming over to Ravenclaw after class. I know I'll make it worth your while." He moved forward and ran a hand down her arm. She shrugged him off and continued on her way to class.  
  
"What's the problem? Am I not good enough for you?" He called after her. "I guarantee you I'm better than Krum any day." She turned and ran back into the commonroom. Why were people so mean? She decided to go back to her bedroom. The other girls immediately left when she arrived. She sat on the end of her bed, contemplating why all of this was happening to her.  
  
'Malfoy.' She thought. 'Malfoy is why all of this is happening. How does he always manage to come out on top? It must be because people are afraid of what he might do to them if they say anything. What would he do if he were me?' Then she remembered his knife. 'That's what he'd do; cut himself. I wonder if that really helps at all.'  
  
She dropped to her knees and looked through her trunk until she found a small box. Opening it, she removed the small dagger she used for cutting her potions ingredients. With a shaking hand she brought the sharp metal to the soft skin on the underside of her left arm. Very warily she drew the blade from her elbow to her wrist. At first she cringed at the contact, but soon discovered it didn't hurt nearly as much as she thought it would.  
  
After the first few cuts it didn't hurt at all and she felt a lot better than she did before. 'I can see why Malfoy does this; good stress relief.' She though as the bell sounded signaling first class would begin in five minutes. 'Oh shit. Gotta go. Can't be late.' She washed the blood off her arm with a damp rag and grabbed her bag, making it to class just in time.  
  
~*End of Flashback*~  
  
She took the knife again and began to run it nonchalantly over her upper left arm. The thick crimson blood flowed in a river and dripped off her fingertips onto her bed spread. 'Maybe there's a reason crimson is a Gryffindor color.' She thought and ran her non-bloody hand over where the blood had fallen. She could feel the dampness but the droplets camouflaged perfectly on the comforter.  
  
She wasn't as experienced as Draco in this and didn't know the spell to make her cuts disappear. She rubbed a bit of blood on Crookshanks' paws to make it look like he really had been the one to cut her, and went to wash off the remaining blood in the bathroom. Ron and harry were out in the Commonroom playing chess. She wrapped her arms around Ron's neck and buried her face in his bright red hair.  
  
"Hey Hermione." She said and turned to face her. "Doing any better today?" he was worried about her; she hadn't been herself today.  
  
"Tons better actually. I mean everyone's still being evil to me but I guess I'm getting used to it." She reached out to take his hand and he grabbed her arm; noticing the fresh cuts.  
  
"What happened this time?" he ran a finger down one cut and she cringed before taking back her arm.  
  
"Crookshanks again." She said in a voice that sounded even to her like she was lying. "I don't know what's gotten into him lately."  
  
"I always said that cat was bad news." Ron took her hand. "Come on, let's go get something to eat."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Draco was almost finished eating when the dreamteam arrived. He immediately noticed the new marks on Hermione and mentally kicked himself. He knew she'd done it because of their encounter that afternoon. He watched her eat and say goodbye to her friends. Soon after she left he also said his good- byes and removed himself from the Slytherin table so Hermione and he could have another little talk. It's didn't take him long to catch up to her and force her, once again, inside a classroom. She protested a bit and gave him a hard kick in the shin with her boot, but overall he was at least twice as strong as she was and overpowered her easily. Once inside he cast a locking charm on the door to prevent her from leaving.  
  
"What do you want Malfoy?" She sat on one of the many student desks and laced her fingers together.  
  
"To know why you did that to yourself." He moved his hand towards her left arm and she scooted back farther on the desk; anything to keep out of reach.  
  
"It's none of your business Malfoy. I'm just a filthy Mudblood anyway; nothing I could possibly do could affect a Pureblood like you, remember?" she glared past his eyes, into his soul and he suddenly felt very violated like there was nothing he could keep from her. He regained his tongue easily enough.  
  
"You're wrong Granger. It does affect me and it is my fucking business when I'm the one that did this to you in the first place." He moved towards her again and once again she moved away.  
  
"Like you're one to talk. I got the entire idea from you. Raeppaius." She pointed her wand at him arms and his own scars surfaced. She gasped at the site. "Malfoy, why am I on your arm?" She had seen the pictures.  
  
"That much show you how bad I feel about all of this. I know I was the one that gave you the idea and if I could take it back I could but it's just not possible. Look Hermio-Granger, I'm," he had never don't this before and he found it to be a lot harder than people made it look. "I'm s-s-s-sorry. I'm sorry."  
  
She looked from his eyes to his arm and back again. Nothing she was seeing or hearing was making sense. Slowly she got up and shook her head. She said the unlocking charm and walked past Draco; out the door.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
That's it for this chapter. I know it's shorter than usual but it only had one point that it had to cover so I had to do a lot of elaborating. Thanks for reading anyway. I know it's not as good as the other two.  
  
REVIEW! 


	4. Chapter Four

Thanks to everyone for reviewing. I know the last chapter was a little - umm - I don't even know how to put it. Moody? Dark? Controversial? Probably all three. I'm having a burst of inspiration right now so that's why the next chapter is up so fast. Plus I'm not writing this one down in a journal beforehand.  
  
Enjoy! (Or at least try to.)  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
'Why do I even bother? She doesn't forgive me; never will.' Draco muttered in Potions class the next day. Hermione and Pansy's table was two tables in front of them and he had a clear view of the back of her head. It had been exactly a week since her secret had been revealed and people had just started to let up on her a little.  
  
"What was that?" Ron looked over at him. Draco just shook his head and went back to adding the heliogandry wings to the potion. He glanced back towards Hermione, but she was so involved in her potion making she wouldn't have noticed if he dropped dead onto the ground, nor would she have cared.  
  
The potion hissed when the wings had settled and turned a brilliant shade of green; it was done. Snape strode over to their table and complimented Draco on his fine work. He then looked at Ron much like a dog looks at a cat; a look of pure hatred, as if daring him to say anything about not getting complimented too. Ron just sat as far back into his chair as he could and gave Snape a look of equal dislike and venom. The Professor looked rather surprised and left to go look at Blaise and Neville's potion instead.  
  
"He really doesn't like you." Draco said simply and began to put the potion in beakers to store in the cabinet.  
  
"The feeling's mutual." This was the first "conversation" the two partners had shared all year. As soon as the entire potion was in beakers Ron and Draco immediately went back to their original state of loathing each other. Draco looked one last time to Hermione's seat. They had just finished their own potion and Snape was busy telling her all the things that were wrong. Draco knew nothing was wrong; Hermione always made perfect potions. Snape just enjoyed taking points from Gryffindor. Hermione was the only Gryffindor to be making higher grades than him in potions.  
  
The bell rang signaling the end of class. Everyone packed up their supplies and left the cold dungeon. It wasn't even winter yet and already the dungeon was almost at freezing point. Draco was last out of the classroom and he watched Ron run up to put his arms around Hermione. He whispered something in her ear and she giggled before kissing him on the cheek. It made him sick.  
  
Next class of the day was Charms. Oh what memories that room held. It hurt him to go in. As he entered a wave of sorrow passed over him and he suddenly felt very cold. 'At least we don't have this class with the Gryffindors.' He thought. 'That would just be too much to handle at once.' He took his seat next to Crabbe and Pansy and Flitwick started class.  
  
"Today class we will be discussing Yelemendo Charms - " Flitwick started his lesson. Draco's mind wandered to other things. Charms class had never held his attention long. It was actually quite a boring class. Maybe if a taller wizard taught it the students would respect him a bit more and pay some attention.  
  
"Draco. Draco!" Crabbe poked him in the shoulder with a pudgy finger. Draco snapped out of his daze and gave him a fierce look.  
  
"What?" He retorted, not happy about being disrupted. He had been thinking about Hermione for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.  
  
"Sorry. We were assigned partners so I figured we might as well get started." Crabbe grumbled and looked down at the desk. He went about getting out his wand and a roll of parchment to take very messy and inaccurate notes.  
  
"Oh right. What charm are we doing again?" Since Draco had not been listening he didn't know what charm it was, what it did, or what the point of learning it was.  
  
"Yaleemanedo." Crabbe stumbled on the word. He had never been good at pronouncing Latin.  
  
"Yelemendo." Draco corrected harshly and got out his own wand. He had known how to do this charm since he was in the first year. His father had taught him over the Christmas Holiday. It wasn't really very important. All it did was keep you warm when it was cold outside. It had kept him from catching pneumonia over the break.  
  
He quickly flicked his wand and a wave of warmth flooded over him. It's hard to be depressed when you're warm and toasty on the inside. Crabbe was struggling to perform the spell successfully so Draco relaxed back in his chair and let his mind drift away again.  
  
'Why did I have to get drunk? I'm a trustworthy person. I wouldn't have muttered a word if I had been sober.' He thought to himself and ran a hand through his pale blonde locks. 'The least she could do is forgive me. I really am sorry. I don't know why she can't see that. What more can I do? There isn't anything else I can do. I suppose that's the point. If she doesn't forgive me it's her problem; I've done all I can.'  
  
By the end of class Crabbe had finally managed to perform a weak Yelemendo Charm. It wore off by the time they had gotten to the Great Hall for lunch. Draco sat himself down far away from the other Slytherin's and took a buttered roll from a nearby basket. His eyes scanned the large room for Hermione. He had found himself doing that a great deal lately, but he didn't see her. She still hadn't shown up by the time lunch was over.  
  
'Where could she be?' He thought to himself. His mind flashed to the cuts on her arms and their conversation the day before. 'She wouldn't. She couldn't. Could she?' He shot up from the table and ran to the portrait hole to the Gryffindor Commonroom. He had managed to scare the password out of one of the younger students earlier that year.  
  
Once inside he glanced around the large room. The tapestries on the walls made him feel a bit lightheaded. In the Slytherin Commonroom there were very few paintings and tapestries on the walls. Mostly there was just cold, gray stone. He looked for any openings in the wall hangings until he noticed a small spiral staircase leading to the dormitories. At the top of the stairs there were fourteen doors, all leading to different rooms for the girls and boys.  
  
Draco ran down the hall opening random doors. By his eleventh try he finally found what he was looking for. Hermione was sprawled on the ground with a penknife clutched in her hand. Blood was steadily pouring out of a large gash on her wrist. 'She's slit her wrist. I can't believe she slit her wrist over all of this.' He thought and picked up her now limp body.  
  
Her face was pale and he skin was as cold as ice. 'She's lost too much blood. I have to get her to the hospital wing now.' He carried her quickly down the stairs and through the school. Everyone was now in their next class of the day so he didn't have to deal with any interrogating questions. He had almost made it to the hospital wing when Harry and Ron rounded the corner; fast.  
  
The three collided and Hermione's flaccid body fell from Draco's arms. Harry recovered from the fall first and rushed to her side.  
  
"Hermione." Harry shook her before turning to Draco. "What did you do to her?" His voice was full of malice and his eyes sent him a look of pure venom.  
  
"Nothing. I found her like this. Now if you don't mind she needs to go to the hospital." Draco made a move to pick her up but Ron stood in the way.  
  
"How could you have found her? She said she was going to her room to get a book or something she needed for Herbology." Ron wouldn't let him pass.  
  
"I noticed she wasn't at lunch and then I remembered that-" He stopped abruptly. 'She told them it was her cat. She doesn't want anyone to know. I won't ruin it this time.' He thought and looked frantically to her wound where blood still flowed freely. "Will you just let me go? Look at her, she needs help!" He pushed Ron out of the way and picked her up. "Don't worry. You'll be fine." He whispered and ran the remaining way to the hospital wing.  
  
He laid her down one of the many starchy white beds and debated whether or not to stick around to tell Madam Pomfrey what had happened; he would stick with the cat story for now for Hermione's sake. Before he had time to choose whether to stay or go the old nurse came bustling out of her chambers.  
  
"Goodness. What happened here?" She checked Hermione's pulse and went scurrying about gathering all the materials she would need to fix her up.  
  
"Her cat." Draco answered and lied right to the nurse's face.  
  
"Her cat?" She repeated and cleaned her injure with a cotton swab of rubbing alcohol.  
  
"Yes ma'am. Her cat. She needs to get the thing de-clawed. If you have everything set now I'll just be going."  
  
"Wait just a minute Mister Malfoy." She said and caught him by the hem of his robes. "Where exactly did you find her?"  
  
"She was in her dorm room unconscious on the floor." Draco didn't want to be here anymore. He was worried he would let something slip that he would be sorry for later. He shifted from one foot to the other as he waited for her to release him.  
  
"She's a Gryffindor correct?" She glanced up at him and he nodded. "And you're a Slytherin?" He nodded again. "So what were you doing in the young ladies dorm room?" This was the part he had been dreading.  
  
"I didn't see her at lunch so I wanted to make sure she was alright." It was the truth. That had been at least part of the reason he had gone to her room. It wasn't the whole truth but at least he wasn't lying anymore.  
  
"And how did you come by the Gryffindor password Mister Malfoy?" Madam Pomfrey had now turned her full attention to him and Hermione was left almost forgotten on the bed.  
  
"Ma'am please. That's not important right now. Will you please just make sure she doesn't die?" He was getting really worried about her. Every time he looked over at her she looked paler.  
  
"Right, right. I'll deal with you later. Go on to class. You're already late." She shooed him out of the hospital doors and shut them behind him. She was right; he was late for Herbology. 'At least it's not Potions.' He thought as he raced down the corridor. 'Professor Sprout won't give me detention for being ten minutes late to class.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Draco lay awake on his green sheets that night staring through the canopy of his bed and up to the ceiling. 'She didn't come back to class all day. What if she died?' Draco's eyes doubled in size at the thought. 'Even if she is a Mudblood, I would never forgive myself.'  
  
He sat up very quietly so none of the other boys sleeping in the room would be awakened. Slowly he opened his trunk and removed a green piece of satin. He draped it over his body and crept out of the room. Invisibility cloaks may be rare but his father was rich enough to have one hand made for their family.  
  
The hospital wing was only one floor away from the dungeons so Draco didn't have to creep around long. He silently slid the door open and slinked over to Hermione's bedside. There was an armchair close-by so he pulled it over to give him a place to sit. Glancing around he concluded that Madam Pomfrey was sleeping soundly and it was safe to remove his cloak.  
  
Once cloak-free he sat himself down in the chair and turned over her left hand to look at the wound on her wrist. "I caused this." He said softly and ran his fingers over the swollen red skin. "I'm so sorry Hermione. I really never realized how bad this would be." He rested her hand be her side and sat back in his chair.  
  
For the first time in his life he felt really alone. The one person who knew absolutely everything about him was unconscious in a hospital bed and it was because of him. He brought his hands up to his eyes felt wetness. 'What's going on?' He thought bewildered. 'I can't possibly be - crying - can I? I haven't cried since I was five years old.' A cold surge of painful memories came back to him.  
  
"Malfoy's don't cry. It's a form of weakness. Malfoy's have no weakness. Do you understand Draco?" He heard his father's bitter voice in the back of his mind.  
  
"Yes father. Of course." A much younger version of himself replied shakily.  
  
"Good. But you do understand that I will have to punish you for crying now don't you son?" He summoned his wand from across the room.  
  
"Yes father. Of course." He sat down in the chair that would eventually become the place he dreaded the most, the place where all of his beatings and torture would take place. But he would not cry; Malfoy's don't cry. It's a form of weakness. Malfoy's have no weakness.  
  
And yet this Mudblood witch was making him cry for the first time in over ten years. What was this power she had over him? Why had he felt guilty about hurting her when he had never given a second thought to any of the other people he had afflicted?  
  
He sat back and let eleven years worth of tears find their path down his cheeks. He wasn't crying because he was upset. He was crying because he had so much emotion stored up over the years and it had all come flooding back when he looked at the small girl lying helpless in the hospital bed. She had opened up gates.  
  
(A/N: I'm sorry he sounds so pathetic. Really - I am.)  
  
Hermione gradually opened her eyes to take in her surroundings. 'How did I get here?' She panicked. 'The last thing I remember was dragging the knife over my wrist and then everything went black.' Her eyes drifted over to where Draco was sitting. He hadn't noticed she was awake and she planned to keep it that way.  
  
For several minutes they both sat in silence. Draco started talking to himself. He recited memories; Hermione wondered if he even knew he was speaking out loud instead of just remembering times past. He glanced over at her and his eyes grew wide.  
  
"H-H-Hermione. You're awake. When did you wake up?" He stumbled out of the chair and closer to her bedside.  
  
"First of all MALFOY I don't know why you're in here. You have no reason to be. And second of all what makes you think that you being here in the middle of the night is going to change anything about how much I don't want to see you right now?" She propped herself up on her pillow a bit more and glowered at him.  
  
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay Granger. If it hadn't been for me you would have died. You know that? DIED. You shouldn't be yelling at me. You should be thanking me." Draco sneered at her and stood up from his chair.  
  
"I will never thank you. I'll admit you saved my life but you also ruined it. Leave me the hell alone!" She screamed at him. He knew if this kept up Madam Pomfrey was bound to notice something. She wasn't completely deaf. He looked her over hard once again and left under his cloak.  
  
"It's not worth it." He muttered once he was back in his bed. "Just not worth it."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione was out of the hospital the next day. The nurse had given her blood and she was as good as new. Harry and Ron were still a bit skeptical about the cat story but she knew they'd get over it eventually. She was on her way back from her last class of the day when Blaise cornered her in an empty hallway.  
  
"Hey Granger." He said and continued to back her into the wall. She looked hysterically around for a way to escape but found none.  
  
"What do you want?" She replied coldly once she was fully pressed against the wall.  
  
"You know what I want." He whispered in her ear and softly nibbled on her earlobe. His lips made their way down her neck and rested on her collarbone. She squirmed to try to get away but he had her in a strong grip. His lips found hers and he smothered her. Slowly his tongue invaded the warm crevice of her mouth and she bit it. "Ouch!" He yelled and pulled away. "Bitch!" She looked rather satisfied and made a move to get away. "No girly. You're not going anywhere."  
  
He grabbed her arm roughly and rammed her against the wall again. His hands explored her body. When she protested he once again took her lips with his own.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Draco was still fuming as he made his way to the library after dinner. Snape had given them a huge essay that even he didn't know all the answers to. He saw two dark figured pressed up against each other in the hall. He had to pass them to reach the library. He tried not to look as he went by but he caught a glimpse of chestnut hair. The blonde head he recognized immediately as Blaise's.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He pulled Blaise off Hermione and threw him onto the floor. Blaise found himself staring up at Draco with a black boot pinning him to the ground.  
  
"Come on Draco. Just playing around." He said good-naturedly with a hint of fear in his voice. He tried to push the boot off but only succeeded in getting it pressed harder onto his chest.  
  
"Don't play around with her. She doesn't deserve all the shit you people are giving her." He pulled Blaise up by the collar. "Don't."  
  
"Okay, okay. I get it. Can I go?" He attempted to pull free of Draco's grasp but it was no use. Draco threw him against the wall; that would leave a bruise. As soon as he was free the slightly smaller boy scampered off into the darkness.  
  
"You okay?" He asked Hermione and helped her up. She dusted off her robes and rubbed a very sore collarbone.  
  
"I've been better." She looked at Draco in a whole new light. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that." She actually smiled at him; something she thought she would never do.  
  
"Yes I did." He answered and gave her a little grin of his own. "If I had let him ravish you I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. Just be more careful. I'll try to get the rest of the Slytherin's to leave you alone." Then she did something else she thought she would never do. She hugged him. Not for long; as soon as she really realized what she was doing she dropped her arms and stepped back.  
  
"Sorry. Caught in the moment." She wiped her hands on her robes.  
  
"Not a problem. See you around Granger." He went back to sauntering to the library.  
  
"Same to you Malfoy." She turned and walked her own way; smiling as she did so.  
  
"Hey Granger!" He shouted from the end of the corridor.  
  
"Yeah?" She yelled back.  
  
"Does this mean you forgive me?" There was some softness in his voice and he looked at her intensely.  
  
"I s'pose so. Might as well." She said and laughed. "Night." They turned and went their separate ways. Both glad that it was finally over.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Okay - That would be a really good place to end the story. What do you think? If you want me to continue e-mail me please. I need to know. My e- mail is on my information page thing.  
  
(Do you think it's just a coincidence that I love you and review rhyme? I don't, because I will love you if you review. It's a poem in the making!)  
  
REVIEW! 


End file.
